We have a small den that’s about 14’ x 16’ and it is currently carpeted. The adjoining hallway and dining room are wood laminate. Can anyone give me an idea of the cost range for pulling up the carpet and replacing it with (hopefully) matching laminate? I know we probably won’t get a perfect match, but we hope to get close. The den is fairly regularly shaped except for a fireplace hearth, and totals about 225 square feet.
Our inside/outside dogs are making it impossible to keep the carpet clean. Plus, they track mud in when they come through the dog door.
As far as I know, there are no damaged areas under the carpet and the levels of the adjoining floors seem to match pretty closely. There are two doorways where we would have to transition to the kitchen tile and to the hallway laminate.
Did you want to install the floor by yourself or have a pro install?
If pro installation, the easiest way to go is to get Home Depot or Lowe’s to come to your place and measure the area. After you choose a color and type of floor you want, they’ll work up a total price for you.
We definitely want a pro to do the work. I was hoping that we could avoid getting other parties involved until we have an idea of about what it should cost. It may be that we don’t have enough of a tax refund to cover the cost…or not. If we think we can afford it this year, we will definitely be getting two or three proposals.
I did a similar room, with a layer of underlayment and good quality pad and material, for well under $1k. The quote to have indifferent-quality tile done was an astounding $3,800.
Make a decent sketch of the room’s dimensions, doorways and any funny angles or obstructions. Go to any good flooring store - better, go to two or three - and get estimates from looking at laminate you like and various job qualities. (Typically, you can go up or down the scale with the laminate and the underlying pad.) I would generally avoid HD, Lowe’s etc. but feel free to get quick estimates from them as well.
I wouldn’t pay for a measure and estimate. That HD et al. charge for it is indicative of their service level. Most contractors will do it free.
It is pretty easy if you have measure-and-cut skills and no tricky bits around complex angles or curves or radiators or the like. It’s forgiving and wide (thick) wall moldings help hide a certain degree of ineptitude.
Never liked laminate much, put this in as a compromise. (Which failed - see other more recent threads :smack: ) It’s been okay to live with but I don’t think I’d do it again.
I am doing this now through Lowes. 900 square feet is 5500 dollars for mid range laminate. That includes everything including moving furniture. The costs are roughly proportional for smaller jobs. An in house estimate is 30 dollars and refundable when you have the work done. Home Depot gave me a 7000 estimate for the same job so they were out. You won’t save much by cheapie out on materials but you don’t need to get the most expensive ones either. Many mid range laminates have a 30 year warranty and are expected to stay in good shape for at least that long with reasonable care.
Consider not trying to match the existing wood because it will never be an exact match and will probably bug you. An entirely different color and/or pattern with a transition at the doorway might look better.
I did this through Home Depot about 5 years ago. Got Pergo XP flooring and it still looks brand new.
I don’t remember what I paid, but I do remember that of the 5 quotes that I obtained before the job, HD and Lowe’s were the lowest.
Also, I’ve had very recent experiences with both Home Depot and Lowe’s regarding installations their contractors performed - pretty minor problems after the fact - and both stores bent over backwards - WAY backwards - to fix the problems and make sure that I was happy.
I really didn’t expect that from the Big Box organizations, but I was very pleasantly surprised.
That pricing is insane to me. 900sf of decent-grade carpet would be half one third the price (figuring $30/yard all-in). For that price level, I’d go with hardwood or tile.